Davis in position to be in demand
Editor’s note: First of a series providing a position-by-position review of the Broncos in 2017 and looking ahead as the team enters the offseason. Today: inside linebackers.
The last tackle of a trying season for Todd Davis saved a touchdown.
Davis, an undrafted defensive player out of Sacramento State who was cut four times by New Orleans before being picked up by the Broncos in 2014, was still in the game late in the third quarter against the Chiefs on Dec. 31. By that time many of Denver’s starters had walked off the field for the final time in a forgettable 5-11 season.
But Davis had one last burst to give. He sprinted from his inside linebacker position in the middle of the field toward the sideline, where Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson had caught a pass at the 1-yard line. Denver safety Dymonte Thomas grabbed Robinson by the ankles. As the receiver tried to pull out of the safety’s grasp and reach toward the goal line, Davis leveled Robinson with a tackle that helped force the Chiefs into settling for a field goal.
Davis had come out of nowhere, much as he has during a career that started at the bottom before he worked his way into a full-time starter in Denver. It’s a journey that has led Davis to the doorstep of longterm stability as he enters unrestricted free agency this spring. And whether the Broncos make their own pitch to the team’s winner of the 2017 Ed Block Courage Award will go a long way toward solving their puzzle at inside linebacker in the offseason.
“I love it here,” Davis said as he cleared out his locker this past week. “Being a California boy I never would have thought I’d love Denver this much, but I really love it here. I think it’s a great, great city and great people. The fans are amazing. This is a first-class organization, so I would love to get a contract here and stay here.”
Davis battled through injuries this past season to play in 14 games. He finished second on the team with 82 tackles, behind only fellow inside linebacker Brandon Marshall (106). It was Davis’ consistency in fighting through pain that earned him the Ed Block honor, an annual award given to the player who best exemplifies commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.
So what might it cost the Broncos to keep the 25-year-old Davis? His numbers compare favorably to A.J. Klein, one of last season’s top unrestricted free agents at the position. Klein was drafted by the Panthers in 2013 and was a key member of their 2015 team that reached the Super Bowl. Klein signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Saints last March.
Marshall, who signed a four-year, $32 million extension with the Broncos in 2016, is owed a base salary of $5 million in 2018. He battled his own injury issues this past season to play in all 16 games and finish with more than 100 defensive stops for the third time in the last four seasons. Corey Nelson, a seventh-round pick of the Broncos in 2014, also is an unrestricted free agent. He missed most of the 2017 season after landing on injured reserve with an elbow injury in October. Zaire Anderson, a backup, saw increased playing time this season in the wake of injuries to Nelson and Davis and enters the offseason as an exclusive-rights free agent. An exclusive-rights free agent has no more than two accrued seasons in the NFL and can only sign with his prior team, provided that team extends a minimum qualifying offer.
The Broncos could seemingly reprise a unit that has helped the team to top-five finishes in total defense in each of the past three seasons. But the pursuit of a potential expensive free-agent quarterback could affect decisions at nearly every other position in free agency.
If that means letting another team sign Davis, the Broncos could turn to the draft to find an inside linebacker. The list of prospects at that position begins with Georgia’s Roquan Smith, the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker. He is considered an early first-round prospect and could be available when the Broncos select at No. 5 in April’s draft.